Fat letters

My first reaction to this was, oh that’s awful. ABC reports “A growing initiative by some schools across the country has students and parents up in arms: the schools are measuring students at an annual weigh-in, and sending reports home telling parents whether their child’s body mass index is healthy or dangerous.”

Generally my thoughts on telling people they’re fat are: he/she knows he/she is fat. Lay off. But then I thought better of it, when it comes to children. A kid’s parents may see their child is heavy, but do they know how to cope with that reality? Maybe they could use some help devising better meal plans and fun ways for the whole family to get outside and exercise. We walk a fine line here. No one wants a child to feel bad, but at the same time, that doesn’t mean we can leave uncomfortable issues unaddressed. I was terrible in math. My parents didn’t throw up their hands and say, “oh well, she’s good at other things.” I went to tutoring, twice a week. Maybe these letter aren’t the best way to go. If not, what is?